Celtic head coach Wilfried Nancy has already needed to cope with an terrible lot since he made the transfer from Columbus Crew to interchange Brendan Rodgers within the dugout.
He misplaced his first 4 matches in control of the Scottish Premiership giants, together with the League Cup closing to St Mirren, and eventually picked up his first win in opposition to Aberdeen final weekend.
The French tactician has additionally needed to cope with dropping two of his wingers, Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha, due to the African Cup of Nations, which has left him short-staffed within the huge areas.
Why Celtic have to signal a brand new winger in January
With the January switch window across the nook, the Scottish giants ought to be wanting so as to add an alternative choice within the huge areas to bolster the squad.
While the system is now a 3-4-2-1 with none ‘pure’ wingers, the wing-backs play very excessive up the pitch, like wingers, and the 2 quantity tens behind the striker may really feel like wingers at instances.
When Tounekti and Balikwisha return from worldwide responsibility, Nancy can have loads of choices at his disposal, however it’s the high quality of these choices that ought to come into query.
|
25/26 Premiership |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
11 |
7 |
|
Targets |
1 |
0 |
|
Minutes per purpose |
667 |
N/A |
|
Key passes per recreation |
1.5 |
0.4 |
|
Large probabilities created |
1 |
1 |
|
Assists |
0 |
1 |
|
Stats through Sofascore |
||
As you possibly can see within the desk above, the pair have mixed for one purpose and one help in 18 appearances within the Premiership to date this season for the Hoops, which is a reasonably dismal return in entrance of purpose.
For this reason the membership ought to be trying to bolster their huge choices within the January switch window by bringing in one other ahead who can supply extra high quality on the high finish of the pitch.
While Celtic ought to look to signal a right-sided attacker to enhance on Balikwisha, who has been utilised on the best and the left flank, they have already got an improve on Tounekti in ready at Parkhead.
The Celtic star who might be an improve on Sebastian Tounekti
In Might earlier this yr, Hoops ahead Jota suffered an ACL damage that was anticipated to maintain him out of motion for round 9 months, as much as February 2026, which implies that he has not performed a single minute within the 2025/26 marketing campaign but.
Chatting with supporters earlier this month, the Portuguese attacker stated that he thinks his restoration is “going the best manner“, which, hopefully, means that he’s on observe to return in February.
If Jota is again and out there for choice in February, Nancy doesn’t have too lengthy to attend to have an excellent huge choice out there for choice, and one that might be a giant improve on Tounekti.
Celtic paid £8m to signal the huge man from Rennes within the January switch window initially of this yr, bringing him again to Parkhead for a second spell, however he solely acquired to play 11 Premiership video games earlier than his damage.
In these 11 appearances, although, the previous Al-Ittihad attacker confirmed the sort of type that supporters cherished him for throughout his first spell, when he produced 25 objectives and 23 assists in two seasons, per Sofascore.
Jota scored 4 objectives, created three ‘large probabilities’, and registered two assists in seven begins within the league final season, per Sofascore, which implies that he scored three extra objectives and produced twice as many assists as Tounekti and Balikwisha have managed mixed to date this time period.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Jota per 90 |
Rank vs wingers |
|---|---|---|
|
xG |
0.48 |
High 8% |
|
Targets |
0.63 |
High 6% |
|
Pictures on the right track |
1.42 |
High 6% |
|
xA |
0.37 |
High 8% |
|
Assists |
0.32 |
High 17% |
|
Possibilities created |
1.89 |
High 25% |
As you possibly can see within the desk above, the Portuguese ace was one of the vital productive huge gamers within the division within the 2024/25 marketing campaign, rating extremely amongst his positional friends in a bunch of goalscoring and inventive metrics.
This season, Tounekti is averaging 0.14 objectives and 0.30 xA per 90 for Celtic within the Premiership, per FotMob, which reveals that he has not been wherever close to as productive in entrance of purpose because the presently injured star was.
Jota, who pundit Michael Stewart described as a “game-changer” who “raises the bar”, is a confirmed performer who has been there and completed it for Celtic throughout two spells, which implies that he is kind of a protected choice for Nancy, so long as his damage doesn’t have a significant impression on his efficiency stage.
Due to this fact, the 26-year-old wing wizard, who has not performed a single minute this season as a result of damage, can return as a giant improve on Tounekti and, because the winger Nancy presently lacks, when he returns to motion initially of 2026.
Celtic can lastly exchange McGregor by signing “box-crashing” SPFL star
Celtic may discover their long-term substitute for Callum McGregor by sealing a deal for this star.
